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Reported militants attack on Bayelsa pipeline is fake news: Military and community sources

By News Express on 07/01/2019

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•Niger Delta militants

Military and community sources in Bayelsa on Sunday described reports of militants attack on oil pipeline operated by Conoil in Koluama 1, in Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa as ‘fake news’.

Some online media and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had reported that a militant group had blown up a pipeline within Conoil’s oilfield near the Atlantic coastline in Koluama 1 settlement.

Several sources in Koluama 1 community contacted by telephone on Sunday said that they were not aware of the incident and denied hearing the noise of the explosion claimed in the report.

James Dou, a resident in the area said that the area had been peaceful since the new year with frequent patrols by the joint military force in Koluama area dominating the waterways.

“I am in Koluama 1 as we speak and there is no report of any attack on Conoil or any oil facility nearby, I did not hear any explosion noise neither did I hear anyone discuss it,” Dou said.

Mr Mathew Sele-Epri, a community leader in Koluama 1 and Chairman, KEFFES Rural Development Board, said the report is false.

“There was no such incident, like that, if it happened I should have known, I have made contact with my people back home and there is nothing, it is fake news,” the community leader said.

Major Ibrahim Abdullahi, Spokesman of the Joint Task Force deployed to protect oil facilities in the Niger Delta, described the report as a hoax and the handiwork of mischief makers to misinform the public.

He said that the outfit had conducted checks to verify the claim of attack by a militant group and found no substance in it.

“After exhaustive verifications following enquiries from media practitioners, we found out that no such incident happened, we enjoin the media to crosscheck their facts before rushing to the press to avoid publishing falsehood like this,” Ibrahim said